Sometimes when you go out to eat the restaurant is beautiful but their food is monstrous. Sometimes when you go out to eat, the restaurant is a hole in the wall, but their food is cooked by the Gods. However, sometimes, harmony is formed when the restaurant not only makes your mouth drop, but also makes taste buds sing. Brad and I were close to finding this harmony in Corpus at a semi-new swanky eatery ZEN Sushi Ultralounge.
We had already planned on watching a movie, but earlier that week I heard an advertisement for half-price sushi at ZEN, so we left the house an hour before the movie started in hopes of eating and making the 7:40 showing. (Youth in Revolt by the way was amazingly awesome! definitely a must see)
As we are parking I notice the lot is full! At least this means people are diggin' it. Thankfully Brad has parking skills and finds a pretty V.I.P spot so that we aren't out in the freezing night for too long. Inside ZEN the floor is wide and open, the bar is at my right and the building sort forms a semi-circle around the bar, fully out of windows. Elegant tables with multi-color flickering light faux candles and white leather chairs line the windows. The place is fairly packed but I find a place to sit near the bar at one of these plush tables. The bar is an octagon of stone structure supporting a glass counter top, and inside this counter of glass are stones of white and a few black and underneath them is a blueish light that makes all the rocks sparkle. I picture drinking at the bar would feel more like being in some fancy cabin in Colorado, or after a few drinks maybe the counter turns into some mystical river! Our server comes over from behind the bar, yes she was also the bartender (first mistake of the night). Asks us if we would like anything to drink, Brad and I make a few jokes about their huge top shelf bottles and suddenly have the waitress eating out of our hands, "we"ll start off with a water and sprite however, thanks."
The half-price selection is limited to three rolls... lame. Thankfully it's their most popular rolls, and coincidentally the most pricey. We order all three half-price rolls and some salmon and white tail on the side. (6 bills just for two pieces of fish, highway robbery) The second bartender actually takes our orders disappears and comes back 5 seconds later to say the sushi will take some time, "like 45 minutes?" I question, "Oh no, like 30" he says. Thirty minute wait for sushi is about the norm on a very good day. At this point we settle in and decide to chat up our original waitress/bartender.
Few more jokes, and bam! Brad and I are tasting their many house wines, all fantastic by the way, and settle with two glasses of pinot grigio after being told they are all out of white zinfandel. Now I can fully say I was having fun, our wine is superb, the people sitting at the tables around us, are well dressed socialites and my date is more than entertaining. The feng shui in ZEN can be felt, with lights lining the ceiling with deep purples, bright blues and soft greens, looking up almost feels like seeing the northern lights. Unfortunately an hour later the waiters present the sushi to our now growling bellies. It only takes Brad and I five minutes to devour the small rolls. Though they were rather small and over priced (even at half-price) we still left with wide smiles.
Overall I give ZEN the score of 3 cheers. The atmosphere and the drinks were top notch but if you are looking for sushi, you can mark ZEN off of that list.
Don't Take My Word for it
ZEN Sushi Ultralounge
on the corner of saratoga and staples in the Kohl's shopping center
(361)994-7940
half-price sushi every Friday, and they have a happy hour but its a bit obscure.
No comments:
Post a Comment